Recommended Dictionaries

Корсак Л.Д., Марціновіч Л.С. Англа-беларускі слоўнік фразеалагізмаў параўнальнага тыпу. Мн., 1984.

Кунин А.В. Англо-русский фразеологический словарь. М., 1984.

Спиерс Р.А. Словарь американских идиом. М., 1991.

Шасцімоўны слоўнік прыказак, прымавак і крылатых слоў / Пад рэд. Н.А.Ганчаровай. Мн., 1993.

Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms. London, 1995.

Courtney R. Longman Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. London, 1983.

Cowie A.P., Mackin R. Oxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English. Oxford, 1984. Vol. 1, 2.

Freeman W. A. Concise Dictionary of English Idioms. London, 1982.

Gulland D.M. and Hinds-Howell D.G. The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms. London, 1994.

Longman Dictionary of English Idioms. London, 1987

The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs. Oxford, 1992.

Partridge E. A Dictionary of Cliches. London, 1981.

Seidl J., McMordie W. English Idioms and How to Use Them. London, 1978.

Stylistic and social stratification of the english lexicon Topics for Discussion

1. Stylistic classification of the English lexicon.

2. Social stratification of the English lexicon.

3. Style and usage labels in English dictionaries.

Key Terms

appreciative approving archaic argot Bible (biblical) cant colloquial common words dated derogatory dialectal emotive emphatic euphemіsm figurative foreignism formal historical humorous informal ironical jargon jocular literary

neologism obsolete obsolescent offensive old-fashioned old use pejorative poetic political correctness pompous rare register rhetorical rude scientific slang spoken standard non-standard substandard subject field taboo technical vulgar

Tasks and Exercises

1. Make sure you understand the meaning of the key terms.

2. Compare style and usage labels in different dictionaries (see Recommended Dictionaries).

3. Make up lists of formal and informal words.

4. Study the diagrams and find points of sameness and difference.

Diagram 1

(From: The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on

Historical Principles. Oxford, 1974. Vol. 1.)

Diagram 2

(From: И.Р. Гальперин. Стилистика английского языка. М., 1977)

Questions

• What are the three main layers of the lexicon?

• What groups of words make up the formal vocabulary?

• Into what groups does the informal vocabulary fall?

• In what does the difference between obsolescent, obsolete, archaic and historical words lie?

• What is the difference between jargonisms and vulgarisms?

• What is the difference between professionalisms and terms? Where does the difference lie?

• What is understood by slang?

Recommended Reading

Антрушина Г.Б., Афанасьева О.В., Морозова Н.Н. Лексикология английского языка: Учеб. пособие / Hа англ. яз. М., 1999.

Арнольд И.В. Лексикология современного английского языка: Учебник для ин-тов и фак. иностр. яз. / Hа англ. яз. М., 1986.